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Hi Gerard,

That is a bit of a hard one. To be honest I would probably be looking in the direction of a pick-up truck and a Mitsubishi L200 would be the one I would go for with your budget. You would have to add a cover or find one with one, but something like this could really work.

Or if you needed a van, then this Renault Master could be ideal. It is within your budget and has lots of seats!

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Hi Ciaran,

There were a lot of used Audi A4s brought into Ireland over the last few years, mainly by personal import. I remember seeing a statistic at the time stating that there were more used Audis being imported into Ireland than there were new Audis being sold. The quality of these imported cars varied quite a lot. Two members of my own family bought cars from the years that you mention and while they have been fine, when something does go wrong (through wear and tear) the costs of parts can be pricey. 

The car you have shown us is petrol powered, which might make it tricky to sell on again, especially since you will probably reach 100,000 miles reasonably soon in it. It has had three owners too in quite a short space of time, so I would want a full history check done on the car and I'd want to know if there have been any problems. 

I think if everything checks out on that car then you could be on to a winner, although I would probably be inclined to look at a diesel with slightly higher miles because resale value might be better. 

Hope that's of help

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Hi Shane,

Well it depends on how much you want to spend really. There is going to be a lot more value in your Corolla than in the 2005 Citroen Berlingo so you wouldn't have to spend much money to get into a Zafira.

There really aren't a lot of 2009 Opel Zafiras around. In fact we found just four on sale in the classifieds. The cheapest of these was just under €17,000 for a petrol version. Since your Corolla would be worth more than this you would want change back from the dealer, which is something that can be hard to achieve.

A much better buy would be something like this diesel Ford S-Max. This car is bigger and better than the Opel Zafira, is closer in price to your Corolla and is a brilliant family car.

Your Citroen Berlingo might fetch between €3,000 - €5,000 depending on mileage and condition and if it is reliable I would keep it until it stops.

I hope this helps!

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Hi Ronan,

I reckon a Volkswagen Golf Van would do a brilliant job for you. You told us by e-mail that you have another €2,000 to spend on top of the value of your Toyota Avensis so I reckon this one could be a good option. 

The Ford Focus van is good too, but I don't imagine you want to be a two Focus family! If I was having a car-van I'd have a Golf. 

Hope that helps

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Hi John,

The auctions have got a lot better than they used to and they are much more popular than ever because essentially it cuts out the middle man. Some auctions such as Merlin now offer a warranty with the auction car so that does take the total risk out of buying. Generally if a car is in an auction there is a reason - it is either a car that someone is trying to get rid of in a hurry; it could be a bit of a heap; or more recently you could find that it is a car that has been repossessed by the banks. These later ones can and often are perfect. By all means give the auction a go, but firstly as an observer. It is easy to get carried away by the auction experience as it can be quite a thrill. 

In general, I would say that if you are buying a slightly larger car for a small budget then make it Japanese. It might not be sexy but something like a Toyota Avensis or Corolla will provide you with the most trouble free motoring for your budget. 

Something like this could do a good job - it's a Corolla 1.6 petrol. It isn't exciting, but neither are large repair bills. Here is the newer shape Avensis with higher mileage but this could be a decent buy. 

I wouldn't really stray much further than these if you want a decent solid car. 

I hope this helps. 

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Hi Maurice,

If I were spending my own money on something like this I would probably narrow my search down to a few key models. I would also look at something that was pre-July 2008 as the road tax is a little easier to stomach.  You didn't specify whether you need it to be a 4x4, because this does tend to make them a little harder on fuel.

The Toyota RAV4 isn't massive but it is seriously well put together and you could have a 2.2-litre 2007 model with low mileage for €17,950.

Here's an example on beepbeep.ie.

Road tax at €860 is still a lot though, so that might rule this out.

If you don't need 4x4, then a Nissan Qashqai is quite an obvious choice. You could have a 2009 model, with low mileage and road tax of a just €156 per year, for €20,495. These are popular for a reason, but forget about it if you need to go off-road.

Here's an example on beepbeep.ie.

Again, no four-wheel drive options for your budget, but you could have a Skoda Yeti, which is a great SUV with a decent 2.0-litre TDI engine for €22,750 - although I'd be pushing for closer to €20,000 in a cash deal.

You could have a Nissan X-Trail too, although they can be a little hard to find. They are really good value. Most are two-wheel drive but there are four-wheel drive ones about. This one is a two-wheel drive version, but at €18,500 for a 2008 model it is great value.

Finally, the latest Land Rover Freelander is much better than the model that went before it. You can have it with a 2.2-litre diesel engine and four-wheel drive and that would be in and around the right money.

Here's an example.

Out of this lot, I'd be inclined to go for the Nissan X-Trail.

Hope that helps. Let us know what you end up going for.

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Hi Paul,

I am not sure if you want a new car or a used car. In terms of a new car, there aren't all that many seven seat estates anymore. First up is the Peugeot 308 SW, which is available with a third row of seats. However, it doesn't seem to be offered on Peugeot's online price list anymore - since the 3008 arrived it doesn't really have a large audience. We did contact Peugeot though and if you do want a 308 SW with seven seats the car is available on special order. A 1.6 HDi 308 SW seven seater will cost from €25,725 plus delivery and a 2.0 HDi will cost from €28,150.

But you can have a 2008 307 SW model for very little money. This one is just €9,990 for a 1.6-litre diesel. 

Mercedes-Benz still does a seven-seat option for the E-Class Estate, but the third row is best suited to kids. That range starts at €46,500 before you start putting in optional extras. 

Here is a quite nice 2004 model though: low mileage, a nice 2.7-litre diesel engine and it is a decent price too. 

Add more detail in the comment box below if you'd like to know more.

Thanks a lot.

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Hi Gavan,

That is a lot of car for very little money. There are a few things to consider here. It is a V6 model, so it is one of the lesser sold Breras. Yes, it is the best one, but it will also be pretty difficult to sell on again and 2-3 years down the line it could be pretty worthless. 

On the plus side though it has bags of character and that V6 is lovely and the Brera has been reasonably headache free.

With this car, it is entirely a heart purchase, the head doesn't come into it. Do all the relevant background checks, be surgical about how the service history is examined and have an Alfa expert run their eye over it and you could have a very nice car that makes the German clones look dull as dishwater. 

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Hi Mick,

If you talk to the trade at the moment, they will say that there is something of a shortage of good used cars around. Generally as people buy in the early parts of the year then you will get a lot of second-hand cars floating around so there is a case for waiting. On the other hand, your 2006 Vectra is regarded as another year older. If you can get the right deal why not do it now? 

The only thing to worry about is a shortage of diesel Mazda6 models from that year. You didn't specify if you wanted petrol or diesel, but there are twice as many petrol examples available. Having said that, I really like this diesel model here, but it is a little on the pricey side. You would pay significantly less for a petrol model with lower mileage, such as this one. 

What I would say is that you will get more attention in the dealerships now, or at least you should do. It can be frustrating going into the dealers in January when they are busy, so bear that in mind.